


Tangled in El Tigre

by MarimenCarmen2



Category: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010) Fusion, F/M, Manfrida, Mexican Horror, frida has long blue hair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-08-01 13:58:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16285898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarimenCarmen2/pseuds/MarimenCarmen2
Summary: a el tigre tangled au :) read it and enjoy





	1. when will my life begin?

this is the story of how i died.  
no, it’s not, but sometimes you gotta be a little dramatic, a little. this is actually a very fun story and it’s not even mine.  
this is the story of a girl named Frida and the moon.

now, once upon a time, a single drop of moonlight fell from the heavens and from this small drop of moon, grew a magic, blue flower. it had the ability to heal the sick and injured.  
well, this old woman everyone hates over there- you might want to remember her. she’s kind of important.  
centuries passed, and a hop skip and a boat ride away there grew a kingdom. the kingdom was ruled by a beloved king and queen. the king was tough and overprotective, and the queen was the most graceful and kind person you’ll ever meet. she gave birth to twin daughters, nikita and anita, and the kingdom rejoiced.  
a couple of years later, and the queen, well, she was expecting again. about to give birth, but she got sick. really, sick.  
she was running out of time, and that’s when people usually start to look for a miracle. or in this case, a magic blue flower.  
ah, i told you he’d be important. you see, instead of sharing the moon’s gift, this woman, sartana of the dead, hoarded its healing power and used it to keep herself young for hundreds of years, and all she had to do was sing a special song.

flower, gleam and glow  
let your power shine  
make the clock reverse  
bring back what once was mine  
what once was mine

all right, you get the gist. she sings to it, she turns young, creepy, right?  
well, the guards searched relentlessly for the flower.sartana was in the middle of singing, when she heard the guards, fleeing, but knocking over the flower’s covering in the process.  
the magic of the golden flower healed the queen.  
a healthy baby, a princess was born, the princess with beautiful blue hair.  
i’ll give you a hint: the princess is frida.  
to celebrate frida's birth, the royal family launched a flying lantern into the sky. and for that one moment, everything was perfect.  
and then that moment ended.  
sartana broke into the castle, sneaking into frida's room, and while singing the magic song, tried to cut a piece of frida’s hair off for herself. once she cut it, the curly hair turned brown.  
she stole the baby girl and just like that–  
gone.  
the whole kingdom searched and searched but they could not find the princess. for deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, sartana raised the child as her own.

heal what has been hurt  
change the fate’s design  
save what has been lost  
bring back what once was mine  
what once was mine

sartana had found her new magic flower, but this time she was determined to keep it hidden.  
“why can’t I go outside?” a young frida asked her, as sartana brushed her hair.  
“the outside world is a dangerous place, filled with horrible, selfish people. you must stay here, where you’re safe. do you understand, flower?”  
“yes mama.”  
but the walls of that tower could not hide everything.  
each year, on her birthday, the royal family released thousands of lanterns into the sky, in hope that one day, their lost princess would return.

•••

“ha!” frida snatches the curtains open. “hmm. well, I guess gabi’s not hiding out here…”  
gabi sniggers in front of a clay pot.  
“gotcha!” she yells unexpectedly, making gabi jump. “that’s twenty-two for me. how about twenty-three out of forty-five?”  
gabi frowns.  
“okay, well, what do you wanna do?  
gabi motions outside, but frida just laughs.  
“yeah, i don’t think so. i like it in here and so do you.”  
the chameleon sticks her younger out at her.  
“oh come on gabi, it’s not so bad in there…” frida says, leaving the window.

seven a.m., the usual morning lineup  
start up the chores and sweep till the floor’s all clean  
polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up  
sweep again, and by then it’s, like, seven-fifteen  
and so I’ll read a book or maybe two or three  
i’ll add a few new paintings to my gallery  
i’ll play guitar and knit and cook and basically  
just wonder when will my life begin?  
then after lunch it’s puzzles and darts and baking  
papier-mache, a bit of ballet and chess  
pottery and ventriloquy, candle-making  
then i’ll stretch, maybe sketch, take a climb, sew a dress!  
and i’ll re-read the books if i have time to spare  
i’ll paint the walls some more, i’m sure there’s room somewhere  
and then i’ll brush and brush and brush and brush my hair  
stuck in the same place i’ve always been  
and i’ll keep wondering and wondering and wondering and wondering  
when will my life begin?  
tomorrow night, the lights will appear  
just like they do on my birthday each year  
what is it like out there where they glow?  
now that I’m older, mama might just let me go…

•••

“wow! i could get used to a view like this.”  
manny stands on top of the castle, looking out onto the kingdom.  
“rivera! come on!” sergio yells, annoyed.  
“hold on. yup. i’m used to it. guys, i want a castle.”  
zoe rolls her eyes. “we do this job. you can buy your own castle.”  
sergio and zoe lower manny from the roof to the crown. a guard sneezes when the crown’s safely in manny’s hands.  
“oh. hay fever?” he asks, twirling the crown in one hand.  
“yea... huh?” he realizes that mike’s in the room too late, and manny salutes him.  
“hey, wait. hey, wait!”  
manny sighs. “can’t you picture me in a castle of my own? cause i certainly can. all the things we’ve seen and it’s only eight in the morning! this is a very big day!”


	2. alone at last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> frida asks sartana an important question, and manny’s chased by royal guards and a very intimidating horse named zebra donkey.

“this is it. this is a very big day, gabi. hmm-mm. i’m finally gonna do it. i’m gonna ask her.” 

“frida!” sartana calls from the bottom of the tower, and the girl gasps. “let down your hair!”

“it’s time,” frida says, and gabi immediately straightens up. “i know, i know, come on, don’t let her see you.”

“frida, I’m not getting any younger down here.”

“coming, mama!” slinging her hair on the hook, it falls to the bottom of the tower. she pulls sartana up, panting from the exertion.

“hi. Welcome home, mama,” she says when he steps through the window.

“ugh, frida! how do you manage to do that every single day without fail! it looks absolutely exhausting, darling.”

“oh, it’s nothing.”

“then I don’t know why it takes so long! ergh, ho-ho-ho-ho, darling, i’m just teasing.”

“ha ha,” frida says dryly. “alright, so, mama, as you know, tomorrow is a very big day–“

“frida, look in that mirror. you know what i see? i see a strong, confident, beautiful young lady. oh look, you’re here too.” she laughs, like she’s just made the best joke on the planet. “i’m just teasing! stop taking everything so seriously, agh.”

“okay, so mama, as I was saying, tomorrow–“

“frida, mama’s feeling a little run-down. would you sing for me, dear? that’ll do.”

“oh! of course, mama.” 

frida grabs the stool and her brush in record time shoving the hairbrush in sartana’s hand. she begins to sing speedily.

 

flower, gleam and glow

let your power shine

make the clock reverse

 

“wait-“

 

bring back what once was mine

 

“wait!”

 

heal what has been hurt

change the fate’s design

 

sartana tries to quickly brush her hair.

 

save what has been lost

bring back what once was mine

 

“frida!”

“so, mama, earlier i was saying tomorrow’s a pretty big day and you didn’t really respond, so i’m just gonna tell you, it’s my birthday! uh. tada!”

sartana clicks her tongue. “no, no, no, can’t be. i distinctly remember: your birthday was last year.

“that’s the funny thing about birthdays–they’re kind of an annual thing! uh. mama, i’m turning eighteen, and i wanted to ask, uh, what i really want for this birthday… actually what I really want for my birth–want for my birth–“

“okay, frida, please, stop with the mumbling. you know how I feel about the mumbling–blah-blah-blah-blah, it’s very annoying, i’m just teasing, you’re adorable, i love you so much, darling.”

gabi rugs on frida’s dress from the floor, urging her to keep going.

“agh, i want to see the floating lights.”

“uh-huh. what?”

“oh. well, i was hoping you would take me to see the floating lights.”

“oh! you mean the stars.”

“that’s the thing.” she climbs up to the space on the wall where she painted the lights, and pulls the curtain away. “i’ve charted stars and they’re always constant–but these–they appear every year on my birthday, mama–ONLY on my birthday. and I can’t help but feel like they’re… they’re meant for me.”

 

you want to go outside? why, frida!

look at you, as fragile as a flower

still a little sapling, just a sprout

you know why we stay up in this tower

 

“i know, but-“

 

that’s right, to keep you safe and sound, dear

guess i always knew this day was coming

knew that soon you’d want to leave the nest

soon, but not yet

 

“but–“

 

shh! trust me, pet

mother knows best

mother knows best

listen to your mother

agh!

it’s a scary world out there

mother knows best

one way or another

something will go wrong, i swear

ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand

cannibals and snakes… the plague!

 

“no!”

 

yes!

 

“but–“

 

also large bugs

men with pointy teeth, and stop, no more, you’ll just upset me!

mana’s right here, papa will protect you

darling here’s what i suggest

skip the drama, stay with mama

mother knows best

ah, hahahaha…

mother knows best

take it from your momsy

on your own, you won’t survive

sloppy, underdressed, immature, clumsy

please, they’ll eat you up alive

gullible, naive, positively grubby

ditzy and a bit, well, hmm vague

plus, i believe, gettin’ kinda chubby

i’m just saying ’cause i wuv you

mother understands, mother’s here to help you

all i have is one request

 

“frida?” sartana asks, taking her chin in her fingers.

“yes?”

“don’t ever ask to leave this tower again.”

“yes, mama.”

“i love you very much, dear.”

“i love you more.”

“i love you most.” she kisses her forehead.

 

don’t forget it, you’ll regret it

mother knows best!

 

“frida! i’ll see you in a bit, my flower.”

“i’ll be here.”

—

“uh, uh… agh! oh no. no no no no no no no no no no, this is bad, this is very very bad, this is really bad…” manny says, including a colorful string of curse words. sergio and zoe look, puzzled, at him. he turns the paper around, showing his face with ‘wanted’ above it. “they just can’t get my nose right!”

zoe rolls her eyes. “who cares?”

“well it’s easy for you to say! you guys look amazing.”

they get to a wall of dirt, effectively boxing them in.

“uh, all right, okay, give me a boost, and i’ll pull you up,” manny says, squatting.

sergio reaches out a hand. “give us the satchel first.”

“uh? i just–i can’t believe that after all we’ve been through together, you don’t trust me? ouch.”

they groan and roll their eyes, but manny hands over the crown, and they hoist him up.

“now help us up, pretty boy,” zoe says, looking up at him.

mike grins, and swings the satchel from one hand. “sorry, my hands are full!”

“what? tigre!” sergio screeches.

manny runs, as the guards chase after him on their horses.

“retrieve that satchel at any cost!” the captain yells. 

“yes, sir!”

zebra donkey neighs, and the other horses neigh in reply.

they get closer to the running teenager, the captain yelling, “we got him now, zebra donkey!”

they’re about to catch manny when he pushes the captain off zebra donkey, and hops on in his place.

“yeah, haha!” manny says, grinning breathlessly and congratulating himself on that pro move.

if only d’art hadn’t stopped in his place, still as stone.

“ugh! come on, fleabag, forward!”

zebra donkey stares at the satchel in manny’s hand.

“no!”

the horse snatches it, and manny tries to get a hold of it, almost falling off in the process.

“no! stop it, stop it! give it to me–give me that!–“ they fight it out on a branch on a dangerous cliff and finally, manny grabs the satchel from zebra donkey’s mouth.

“ha!”

zebra donkey scoots forward on the skinny branch, and there’s a loud cracking sound.

“uh oh.”

the branch snaps off, taking zebra donkey and manny with it. the former neighs in horror as the latter screams loudly.

they free fall for a couple seconds, then fall on the ground, a few feet from each other. manny immediately runs, and zebra donkey follows once he registers that he’s alive. manny stops at a large rock, desperately looking for somewhere to hide. his hand searches the crevices, before his whole body falls through a curtain of hanging leaves. zebra donkey neighs in the distance as he tumbles on the grass.

there’s a tunnel of rocks, and mike walks through it, staring in awe when he sees the tall tower before him.

using his daggers, he climbs the tower, stabbing the weapons into the rock to pull himself up.

he reaches the top, panting, but smiling nonetheless.

“alone at last!”

then, a frying pan hits him in the face, and he’s knocked unconscious.


	3. I'll Make you a Deal

Frida gasped

Frida puts Manny in the closet.

"I-I have a man in the closet"

But Frida hears Sartana's voice

"Frida let down your hair!"

"Coming mother! Don't let her see you"

Frida tried to tell Sartana but..........

"Enough! You are not leaving this tower Ever!!"

"Great now I'm the bad guy"

As Sartana left, Manny walked to Frida

"Look Fridaniella I'll make you a deal if I win I'll have my satchel back and if you win.......I'll help you to be reunited with your family"

Frida squealed


End file.
